Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency: Harmanpreet Kaur’s Indian team played their opening match of the Women’s T20 World Cup today. The Indian women were determined to secure a win against arch-rivals Pakistan, and players like Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh delivered exactly that on the field. Batting first, the team—led by the likes of Deepti Sharma—defeated Pakistan by a huge margin of 64 runs. India faced early trouble while batting first, finding themselves under pressure after losing explosive opener Shafali Verma and reliable batter Jemimah Rodrigues within just 18 runs. In this precarious situation, the team's two most experienced stars—Smriti and captain Harmanpreet—stepped up to steady the ship. The duo steered the Indian innings forward with composure, sharing a partnership of 91 runs off 63 balls. Batting with great poise, India's vice-captain reached her fifth half-century in the Women’s T20 World Cup; she played a magnificent innings of 68 runs off 44 balls, featuring 9 fours and 2 sixes.
After Smriti’s dismissal, Bengal wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh provided the finishing touch to the Indian innings. Harmanpreet returned to the pavilion after scoring 36 runs. Richa then played a brilliant knock of 34 runs off 17 balls—hitting 5 fours and 1 six—to propel India to a total of 170 runs. Pakistan captain Fatima Khan and reliable bowler Sadia Iqbal claimed two wickets each.
Chasing the target, no Pakistani batter other than Muneeba Siddiqui (41) could put up any significant resistance. With the ball, Deepti Sharma dismantled the Pakistani batting lineup; she took 5 wickets for just 10 runs in her 4 overs and was awarded the Player of the Match. He was ably supported by another Indian spinner, Sri Charni (3/21); this victory over arch-rivals will significantly boost the Indian team's confidence.